The past decade has illustrated that the use of optical fiber as an information transport medium allows for rugged, high speed, noise immune, low power data communication over long distances. Even though coaxial cable and fiber are comparable in cost per foot, optical fiber has not been accepted for short to medium haul applications due to the high cost of the connections on the fiber ends. The high connector cost is due to two separate connector requirements. First, since electrical connections are required at both ends of a datalink, the fiber ends must be precisely aligned to the optical signal emitter and detector. Second, although there are experiments being performed to develop Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) on Silicon (Si) and fluorescent Si, emitters are currently made from discrete III-V materials (either LEDs or lasers). Since the signal drivers and receiving amplifiers, which are inevitably required in such arrangements, need to be made from Si circuitry, there is a need that dissimilar semiconductor devices be combined in a single connector package. Thus, there is a continuing need to improve the technology for interconnecting optical fibers to optoelectronic components.